Conveyer



Jan. 11, 1944. s. OLSON} CONVEYER Filed July 4, 1942 2 Sheet s-Sheet 1 5. oLsoN Jan. 11, 1944.

GONVEYER asneets-sneet 2 Filed July 4, 1942 Patented Jan. 11, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CONVEYEB.

Samuel Olson, Chicago, Ill.

Application July 4, 1942, Serial No. 449,726

Claims.

This invention relates to conveyers of the type which usually have an endless chain or chains with carriers or buckets attached thereto at intervals for transporting the loads.

One object of the invention is to provide a new and improved carrier controlling means for endless chain conveyors.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for automatically preventing pendulous movement of the carriers or buckets as they are propelled by the chain to which they are attached.

A further object of the invention is to provide means associated with the head or foot wheel of the conveyer for preventing pendulous movement of the carriers as they traverse such wheel.

More specifically it is an object of the invention to provide means for controlling the carriers or buckets of a chain conveyer in which such buckets are pendulously attached to the conveyer chain, and in which a notched wheel is provided adjacent the head or foot Wheel of the conveyer for engaging each bucket or carrier at a point remote from its point of attachment to the chain, the present invention including means operating automatically to hold the carrier in engagement with a notch of said wheel while traversin the adjacent head or foot wheel of the conveyer.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description taken in connection with the drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view of a portion of a conveyer including the head wheel and provided with carrier controlling means embodying this invention, the section being taken substantially as indicated at line l-l on Fig. 3.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken similarly to Fig. l and showing the carrier controlling devices in operative position.

Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 1 with certain portions shown in section, as indicated at line 33 on Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a detail perspective View on an enlarged scale showing one of the carrier controlling levers.

While there is shown and described herein certain specific structure embodying the invention, it will be manifest to those skilled in the art that various modifications and re-arrangements of the parts may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, and that the same is not limited to the particular form herein shown and described, except in so far as indicated by the appended claims.

This invention is illustrated as embodied in a conveyer of the endless chain type comprising a pair of chains it, if] trained over head wheels or sprockets H, H and supporting load carriers l2 which are attached to the chains at intervals by means of hangers l3 and pivots M connecting the hangers to the chain at points remote from the load carriers themselves. As shown, each load carrier includes a platform extending horizontally between the hangers l3, l3 and provided with end walls or flanges i6, it. With the pivotal connections I l, [4 at a considerable distance above the platform l5 of the carrier, it will be evident that the carrier is pendulously supported by the chains ii), iii and that it is therefore desirable to provide guide means for preventing or checking any tendency of the carrier to swing about its pivots M, M. Throughout the straight portions of the up and down runs of the chains Ill, 16, such guide means is provided in the form of guide rails H and i8 spaced apart to compose guide channels for rollers l9 carried by lugs ZS which extend laterally from the platform l5 of each carrier. The rollers It, being disposed at points remote from the axes of the supporting pivots id, thus serve to check any tendency of the carrier to swing about its pivots so long as the rollers it are traveling between the guide rails I1 and it.

But as the chains ill traverse the head wheels II, the hangers l3 depend vertically from their pivots l4 and are carried transverseiy of the axis of the head wheels l l as the pivots i i are carried over the wheels from the upwardly traveling side of the conveyer to the downwardly traveling side. Some control of the carriers i2 is afforded by means of notched wheels 2! carried by a shaft 22 which is journaled for rotation parallel to the common axis of the head wheels 5 i, i l and which is connected for rotation with the head wheels in timed relation thereto by means of a chain 23 and sprockets 24 and 25 (see Fig. 3). In the arrangement shown, the head wheels H, H are connected for simultaneous rotation by means of a. common drive shaft 26 having pinions 21,

21. Each pinion 27 meshes with a gear 28 which is secured to the shaft 29 of one of the head wheels I I and, as shown, one of the shafts 29 carries the sprocket 24 which drives the chain 23 and thereby, through the sprocket 2E5, actuates the notched wheels 2!. Preferably the pitch diameter of each wheel 2| is the same as the pitch diameter of the head wheels H, and the sprockets 24 and 25 provide a 1:1 ratio.

The notches 352 of the wheel 2| are spaced to register with the connecting pivots of the links of the chain to as it moves adjacent the periphery of the wheel 2!, and the roller I9 projecting laterally from each carrier 12 is positioned in alignment with an adjacent pivot of the chain Ill so that it shall register with one of the notches 33 as the carrier travels adjacent the Wheel 2!. As seen in Fig. 1, this engagement of the roller It in a notch fit of the wheel 2| begins while the carrier is still traveling in a straight path upwardly and approaching the head wheel H, and for this portion of the movement the engagement is maintained by the presence of the guide rail ll extending beyond the end of the guide rail 18 and in a substantially tangential relation to the notched wheel 2!. It is desirable that the roller l9 be kept in engagement with the notch 38 while the pivotal connection it is traversing the upper curve of the head wheel H, and since the axes I of the shafts 232 and 29 are spaced apart by the same distance as the pivots M and rollers IQ of the carriers, this would normally occur if the carrier were not disturbed in any way during this portion of its travel. However, the guide rail I? terminates a short distance above the horizontal plane of the shaft 22 on which the notched wheels iii are carried so that above this point the notches 39 are left unguarded; hence any jar or vibration, such as might result from sudden stopping or starting of the conveyer chains lil, might tend to swing the carrier i2 about its pivot I l if at this time its rollers it were engaged in unguarded notches 3d of the wheels 2i in the upper portions of the peripheries of th wheels where the notches are laterally open, as distinguished from upwardly open notches at the extreme upper portions of the wheels. These critical positions of the notches 3d are designated at 39a in Fig. 1.

To supplement the guide rails 11', there is provided adjacent each head wheel H a lever 35 fulcrumed at on a suitable supporting bracket 33, and this lever is balanced to stand normally in the position in which a roller 35 secured to the lower end of the lever is disposed adjacent the vertical path of travel of a hanger it of the carrier 22. Above the pivot 32, the lever takes the "form or a curved cam arm 35 positioned for engagement by a roller carried on the supporting pivot it of the hanger l3. As thepivots l4 traverse the head wheels ll, they engage these curved arms of the levers M, as seen in Fig. 2, and swing the lower ends of the levers gradually inward with their rollers 3 3 bearing against the hangers it. The cam arms 35 are shaped to swing the rollers 34 inwardly at exactly the proper rate for holding the rollers iii in engagement with the notches through the critical positions 35a of these notches, that is until the notches reach positions in which they are upwardly open and can thus prevent pendulous movement of the hangers 53 a they are carried over the highest portions of the head wheels ll.

Preferably, similar means are provided for controlling the pendulous carriers in their descending movements just after traversing the uppermost portions of the head wheels H and before control is assumed by the vertical guide rails IT and 15. For this purpose levers M are fulcrumed at on brackets and are provided with rollers and with curved cam arms 45, all these parts being substant 1 similar to the corresponding parts of the levers except that the cam arms 45 may be made slightly longer than the cam arms Then as the pivot carried rollers 36 travel over the head wheels ll, they engage the outer ends of the cam arms and swing the lower ends of the levers 4| inwardly, acting to press the rollers 44 firmly against the hangers 13, so as to hold their guide rollers I9 in the notches 3B of the wheels 2| as the pivots l4 traverse the head Wheels II at the descending side. This action is indicated in Fig. 2 in which the position of the carrier and its hangers I3 is shown in broken outline, while the lever M is indicate in full line in its active position.

As shown, the rollers 34 and 44 are journaled in the ends of threaded studs which are provided with clamping nuts 5| securing them adjustably to the levers 3| and 4!, so that after erection of the mechanism the rollers may be accurately adjusted to operate smoothly in response to the action of the cam arms 35 and 45, as described. This will insure the complete control of the pendulously supported carriers as they traverse the head Wheels and will prevent injury or dislodgement of their loads even if the mechanism should be subjected to shock or vibration which would otherwise cause the carriers to swing out of control. Preferably and to further insure smooth action of the mechanism without undue strain on the driving motor 66 in the event that the rollers 3- 3 and 44 should not be perfectly adjusted, the cam arms 35 and 55 may be of spring metal so that the adjustment may be such as to maintain them firmly but yieldingly in contact with the rollers 36.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a conveyer which includes a chain and a supporting wheel over which it travels, a carrier structure including a hanger pendulously pivoted to the chain, a notched control Wheel rotatable in timed relation with the supporting wheel and adjacent thereto, a projection extending laterally from the carrier structure at a distance from its pivotal attachment to the chain and dimensioned to be engaged in a notch of said control wheel which travels in an arc similar to that traversed by the attachment pivot in moving around the axis of said chain supporting wheel, said notch serving to prevent pendulous movement of the carrier during a portion of said are or travel, and movable means shifted by the travel of the carrier into position for positively holding said projection in the notch through another portion of said arc.

2. In the combination defined in claim 1, said means for positively holding the projection in the notch comprising a lever fulcrumed adjacent the path of travel of the carrier with one arm positioned to swing against the hanger, and means maintaining said arm in contact with the hanger during the travel of said projection through said other portion of said arc.

3. In the combination defined in claim 1, said means for positively holding the projection in the notch comprising a lever fulcrumed adjacent the path of travel or the carrier with one arm positioned to swing against the hanger and with another arm extending adjacent the path of pivotal connection of said hanger to the chain and shaped to maintain contact therewith and to hold the first mentioned arm against the hanger during the travel of said projection through said other portion of said arc.

4. In the combination defined in claim 1, said projection including a roller adapted to fit in said notch and the means for positively holding the roller in the notch comprising a lever fulcrumed adjacent the path of travel of the carrier, a roller carried by one arm of said lever and positioned to be swung thereby against the hanger, and means maintaining said roller in contact with the hanger during the travel of said projection through said other portion of said arc.

5. In the combination defined in claim 1, said means for positively holding the projection in the notch comprising a lever fulcrumed adjacent the path of travel of the carrier with one arm positioned to swing against the hanger and with a yieldable arm extending adjacent the path of the pivotal connection of said hanger to the chain and adjusted to maintain contact therewith during the travel of said projection through said other portion of said are and to thus press the first mentioned arm yieldingly against the hanger.

6. In the combination defined in claim 1, said means for positively holding the projection in the notch comprising a cam pivotally mounted for engagement with the pivotal connection of the hanger to the chain and a lever arm con trolled by said cam to bear against the hanger in a direction for holding the projection in the notch during the travel of said projection through said other portion of said arc.

7. In the combination defined in claim 1, said means for holding the projection in the notch comprising a member mounted adjacent the path of travel of the carrier and movable to bear against the carrier structure in a direction to hold the projection in the notch during the travel of said projection through said other portion of said arc, and means controlled by engagement with a portion of the carrier adjacent its pivotal attachment to the chain and actuating said movable member in response thereto.

8. In a conveyer which includes a pair of chains and supporting wheels over which they travel in parallel paths, a carrier structure including a platform and hangers by which it is pendulously pivoted to the chains respectively, a pair of notched control wheels rotatable in timed relation with the supporting wheels on an axis adjacent and parallel to the axis of said supporting wheels, projections extending laterally from the carrier structure at a distance from the pivotal attachment of its hangers to the chains and dimensioned to be engaged respectively in notches of said control Wheels, said notches traveling in arcs similar to those traversed by the attachment pivots in moving around the axis of said chain supporting wheels, said notches serving to prevent pendulous movement of the carrier during a portion of said arcuate travel, and movable means shifted by the travel of the carrier into position for positively holding said pro- J'ections in the notches of the control wheels through another portion or said arcuate travel.

9. In a conveyer which includes a chain and a head wheel over which it travels upwardly at one side of the wheel and downwardly at the other side, a carrier structure including a hanger pendulously pivoted to the chain, a notched control Wheel rotatable in timed relation with the head wheel on an axis parallel to and adjacent the axis of the head wheel, a projection extending laterally from the carrier structure at a distance from its pivotal attachment to the chain and dimensioned to be engaged in a notch of said control wheel as the carrier approaches the head wheel in its upward travel, and means for holding said projection in the notch during the upward movement of the carrier just preceding its highest position in traversing the head wheel and during the downward movement of the carrier immediately following its said highest position, comprising movable members mounted adjacent the path of travel of the carrier, and means actuated by said travel of the carrier in its upward and downward movements respectively to shift said movable members into contact with the hanger and to maintain said contact throughout predetermined porone side of the wheel and downwardly at the other side, a carrier structure including a hanger pendulously pivoted to the chain, a notched control wheel rotatable in timed relation with the head wheel on an axis parallel to and adjacent the axis of the head wheel, a projection extending laterally from the carrier structure at a distance from its pivotal attachment to the chain and dimensioned to be engaged in a notch of said control wheel as the carrier approaches the head wheel in its upward travel, and means for holding said projection in the notch during the upward movement of the carrier just preceding its highest position in traversing the head wheel and during the downward movement of the carrier immediately following its said highest position, comprising a pair of levers fulcrumed respectively adjacent the head wheel at opposite sides of its axis, each lever having a cam arm extending for actuation by a portion of the carrier adjacent its pivotal connection with the chain as said portion traverses the head wheel, one of said arms being actuated during the upward movement of the carrier and the other arm being actuated during the downward movement thereof, and each lever having another arm positioned to bear against the hanger of the carrier in a direction to hold said projection in the notch of the wheel under control of the first mentioned arm of the lever.

SAMUEL OLSON. 

